True to Type
Canadian typographer Rod McDonald came to VIU to speak about his work and to promote the upcoming Carl Dair typography workshops in Canada. The lecture took place on Oct. 16 at the Nanaimo Campus. Typographers design typefaces, which are sometimes commonly referred to as fonts. VIU academic students are probably most familiar with the Times … Continued
Argo Review
Following the success of his directorial debut in Gone Baby Gone and the bewitching crime-saga, The Town; there’s no measure as to how Ben Affleck has matured into one of the most proficient filmmakers of his generation. In his latest suspense-fuelled adventure, Argo, he delivers his most sympathetic and gripping film to date. Based on … Continued
Burlesque to Broadway
Singer Quinn Lemley said she hoped to take her audience on a journey during her performance of Burlesque to Broadway at Nanaimo’s Port Theatre. Lemley says she encourages her audiences to dress up. She says women came dressed in sequins and boas at a past performance in a venue with an army base nearby. “There … Continued
The Smashing Pumpkins rock Vancou…uhh…Calgary!
In the wake of finding out that The Smashing Pumpkins Oct. 7 Rogers Arena show had been cancelled only a week before the event, I spent several days harbouring the feeling that I’d been kicked hard in the stomach. That was until I made the last minute decision to go see them in Calgary. I … Continued
Art Bites
Annual Urban Issues Film Festival The theme for the seventh annual Urban Issues Film Festival, which takes place on Friday Nov. 9, is “Nature of the City and Nature in the City.” Sponsored by the VIU Geography department and other local organizations, the event will include long films, such as We Are Not Ghosts, which … Continued
Voices through Time: Letters of the Great War
If you have ever wondered how major historical events affect individuals and those they love, you may want to join VIU History professor Dr. Stephen Davies for an eye-opening presentation on Friday, Nov. 16, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. in the Malaspina Theatre on the Nanaimo campus. In this next presentation of the Arts and … Continued
Mother Mother: The Sticks
The fourth record from Quadra Island indie-rock band Mother Mother couldn’t have come at a better time. Released Sept. 18, The Sticks is an album for autumn. From their first full length album Touch Up released in 2007, to 2011’s Eureka, Mother Mother has maintained their unique sound and indie quality, but The Sticks takes … Continued
Attention all writers (and readers)
On Mon., Oct. 29, Poets on Campus will be hosting author Matthew Hooton for a reading and Q&A. Author of Deloume Road, Hooton holds a B.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Victoria and an MA from Bath Spa University in England. He has also written creative non-fiction for CBC, Geist, Reader’s Digest, and … Continued
VIU cuts Theatre minor
One of the main reasons I chose to come back to VIU three years ago was for the Theatre minor. I had done my first year in 2006, and then I took a break. While considering other schools, I decided to take another look at VIU. I was elated to find a course specifically on … Continued
Alberta oil and arts
Ah, lovely, scenic, rustic, Alberta; the home of big oil, big fields, big cows, and big dollars. A place where the almighty dollar is King, and an 18-hour shift is merely a normal working day. It’s a dusty, windy province with dirt under its fingernails. A province where trade schools pump out streams of young … Continued
Art Bites:
Toronto-based jazz violinist Aline Homzy will play for five evenings at The Vault, (499 Wallace St., Nanaimo) on Tues. Oct. 23–Sat. Oct. 27, starting at 7:30 p.m. Homzy, who will perform with drummer Hanz Verhoeten, bassist Andrew Cullen, and guitarist Julius Clegg, will play some of her original compositions, as well as cover pieces by … Continued
Student and faculty creativity
The upcoming installation in the Arts and Humanities Colloquium series, taking place on Oct. 19, promises to be an unprecedented and exciting event. “Lo-fi and Wi-fi: Conjuring Creativity & Performance” is a multi-media presentation and will include video, musical performance, graffiti, audio, and much more. The shell of the presentation was organized by Media Studies … Continued
Student Profile: Arielle Bonsor
Arielle Bonsor had to do some exploring, but now that she has almost finished her fourth year in the Visual Arts program at VIU, she can confidently say that she has found the place where she belongs. “[VIU] is a second home for me. I never want to leave the art building…I don’t have any fear … Continued
Looper Review
Looper is an intriguing, gritty science fiction thriller led by a talented cast and kept alive by stylish direction and smart writing. The film takes place in the year 2044, a grimy and rundown future that’s both harsh and convincing. It introduces Joe ( Joseph Gordon-Levitt), an assassin whose job is to kill people that … Continued